


The Double Bed

by Arel_Rhink



Category: Rhett & Link, rhink - Fandom
Genre: M/M, tropetastictuesday5
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-07
Updated: 2017-04-07
Packaged: 2018-10-15 21:22:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10557904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arel_Rhink/pseuds/Arel_Rhink
Summary: While vacationing with friends in a ski lodge, Link and Rhett are talked into sharing the only double bed in their suite… and Link’s not happy about it.





	

“I call the loft bunk!” Mike exclaimed, bounding up the carpeted stairs to the loft.

“I want the one next to the bathroom!” Nick hollered, quickly throwing his bag of clothes onto his claimed bed.

Gregg, Rhett, and Link all raced to the last single bed in the corner. Gregg took a grand leap mid-sprint like an Olympian, and bounced high with a roll onto the mattress with a victorious cry.

“Aww, come on, man!” Rhett whined, throwing his long arms into the air.

“You cheated!” Link screeched, pointing accusingly at the man smiling at the two of them as though it was all a big evil scheme.

“Nah-ah-ah, boys. Looks like you two are sharing the double,” Gregg sang with his crap-eating grin. He gestured mockingly toward the accursed double bed, at which Link glared furiously. There was nothing wrong with the bed, of course. They were staying in a four-star ski lodge, for crying out loud. There was nothing wrong with Rhett either. The two of them had become inseparable since first grade.

But that was the thing. Their friendship had its perks, but the outlook it received from others in the past came off as a little more than platonic. More than once their repercussions didn’t turn out well for the Linkster. He’d been mocked, teased, and at times he’d taken a few hits. Literally. He was not about to take that kind of humiliation again – especially on vacation.

“You sleep on the double!” Link belted, startling the life out of every man in the suite. “I’m not sharing a bed with Rhett!” The giant of a man beside Link gasped through his nose. The others didn’t seem to take notice. His suddenly disheartened eyes looked to Link, who kept arguing with Gregg.

“Look,” Nick sighed, half undressed and sitting atop his mattress. The three turned to give him their attention. “Honestly, out of all of us here, you and Rhett would be most comfortable sharing a bed.”

“Seriously!” added Mike from upstairs. “You’ve known each other for most of your lives, so what’s the big deal?”

“I bet he knows he’d cuddle Rhett in his sleep,” teased Gregg, whose smile widened at the very thought. Mike and Nick laughed and added their own silly teases to rile Link up. His hands balled to fists as he readied a swift punch to Gregg’s face, but Rhett quickly grabbed his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.

“Come on, man. It’s really no big deal,” Rhett assured. His soft tone of voice eased some of Link’s tension. “Besides, it’s just for tonight.”

“Yeah, Link. We’ll rotate,” Mike added, now off his bed and leaning on the loft’s railing to look down on the drama. “During our stay up here, each of us will be sharing that bed at least once.”

Link’s shoulders dropped as the rest of his tension left him through a heavy exhale. “Fine… but _just_ for tonight,” he grumbled as he threw his backpack onto the double mattress with a brusque thud. Rhett only stood silent as he watched Link’s movements while the other guys got ready for bed, making crude comments at each other. Their voices, however, were muffled in Rhett’s ears. They didn’t matter. The only thing that Rhett cared about was why Link was so opposed to sharing a bed with him. After all, they’ve shared everything in their lives. What made this so different?

Once Gregg, Nick, and Mike were all curled up under their covers, likely asleep, Rhett turned over on his side of the bed to look at Link. The brunet was facing away from him and practically lying on the very edge of the mattress. Very carefully, he scooted closer to him, hoping his movements wouldn’t knock Link to the floor. Then he’d _really_ be upset with him. He stretched an arm out and lightly tapped Link’s shoulder. The man let out an involuntary squeak and scrunched himself into a ball. Rhett moved even closer, and upon further inspection realized Link was shivering.

“Link?” Rhett whispered. He glanced around the suite, confirming that both Gregg and Nick were still sound asleep. He then took his hand and brushed it gently on Link’s arm, making the brunet wiggle around more in his slumber. Rhett pulled him against him until Link’s sleep-fit subsided. He didn’t let go – even as he felt the smaller man relax in his arms. He wanted to make sure his little buddy was okay. More importantly, he wanted Link to know that he was safe in his warm embrace.

“R… Rhett?” whimpered the sleepy brunet against Rhett’s collarbone.

“Hm?” Rhett squeaked as he looked down at the top of Link’s dark mop of hair.

Link didn’t say anything at first. He stayed still, secretly enjoying the warmth his best friend was providing him for a small moment. “Thanks,” he finally whispered.

What happened next was something Rhett didn’t expect. Link’s arms slithered over and under his torso, wrapping him in a hug. Using Rhett’s heavy body for leverage, he pulled himself even closer to the taller man and squeezed him harder. They stayed like that even while sleep took them both over, and neither were awakened until a bright light flashed in their faces.

They both blinked rapidly in confusion as specks of color clouded their sleepy vision. Once everything started to take shape, they realized it was morning… and all their friends were awake to greet them with a disposable camera.

“What the heck, guys?” Link grumbled, feebly grabbing for the camera in Gregg’s hands.

“You guys were so cute all cuddled up together,” Nick said with a tiny giggle.

“That one’s going in the album!” Gregg cheered as he snapped another shot of the two cuddlebugs.

“You guys are dorks,” Rhett chuckled, throwing a pillow in their direction.

“Hurry up and get dressed then, love-birds! The breakfast buffet doesn’t eat itself!” Nick hooted as he, Mike, and Gregg scurried out the door. Link scowled at the two idiots he for some reason called his friends. His head snapped in Rhett’s direction when he heard his bellowing chuckles.

“What’re you laughing at?” Link muttered as he tried to escape Rhett’s grasp. The taller of the two pulled him against him once more as his laughter subsided.

“Oh, nothin’,” Rhett said as he noogied Link’s head. Link quickly escaped and got off the bed, wiping the folds out of his pajamas. “You’re going already?” Rhett asked, his smile completely gone as Link walked away.

Link picked his dirty shirt from yesterday off the floor and pulled it over his head. “I’m hungry,” he grumbled as he finished becoming somewhat presentable. “Aren’t you?”

Rhett paused. Of course he was hungry. He seldom wasn’t. He just wanted a different way to spend his morning… at least for the next half hour or so. He mustered his thoughts and set them aside for now, since Link was clearly not in the mood to be put back in their earlier circumstance. His heart sank a little bit as he got up as well. “Um, yeah, of course I am.” He quickly followed Link’s same steps. Thankfully, the brunet waited for him in the room instead of bailing on him.

All five of them came back to the room after a day of binging at the buffet and swimming in the lodge’s heated indoor pool. It was a wonderful respite after yesterday’s blizzard. They took turns using their shower and brushing their teeth, and soon they were ready for bed. The guys all recalled their deal with Link from last night, and abided his wish to rotate. Gregg and Nick volunteered to sleep in the double, Mike claimed the single bed beside it, Link got the bed by the bathroom, and Rhett got the loft upstairs. They all seemed content with their new spots and were quick to hit the hay.

Link merrily buried himself under all the blankets and wiggled at the comfort of being alone. However, the bed’s warmth quickly ran cold, and the sensation of lying in that bed felt suddenly foreign. He tossed and turned, wasting hours of his sleep time wondering why he couldn’t sleep. Eventually, he sighed and threw the blankets off him. His feet touched the carpet, and already he felt more at ease. Without another moment to waste, he tiptoed up the stairs and made for the loft bedroom’s door. He creaked it open and peeked inside.

“Rhett?” he whispered into the dark room. The skylight in the middle of the room allowed enough moonlight for Link to see the silhouette of the bed and the man sleeping atop it. With a smile on his face, he trotted carefully towards him. “Rhett?” he whispered again. After getting no response from him, Link cautiously climbed in beside Rhett. Already, the man’s warmth filled Link with comfort and happiness. Once he was finally under the covers, he scooted even closer on the tiny bed. He wrapped his arms around Rhett and gently squeezed him until his back was flush with Link’s torso. The larger man grunted at the contact, but kept his eyes shut. Accepting Link’s presence, he scooted over, giving Link a teeny bit more room. Here Link felt truly comfortable. He nuzzled against his best friend’s back and quickly fell asleep.

The next morning, Link woke up to see Rhett smiling at him. He hummed at the soothing touch of Rhett’s fingers petting his hair.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” Rhett greeted. Link could feel the vibrations in Rhett’s chest from his gravelly morning voice, and they tickled ever so slightly. He blushed at the endearing words, and couldn’t help but smile. “Wasn’t expecting you to join me last night after –”

“Well, I missed you,” Link purred, snuggling shamelessly against the taller man. He was grateful the door was shut and that they were on the loft. They had all the privacy they could ever have. That knowledge by itself was enough to make Link feel okay with being more spontaneous with his dear friend.

“Did you now?” Rhett asked, cocking an eyebrow at the snuggly bean of a man. Link rested his face on Rhett’s shoulder, peeking up at the blond with the biggest blue eyes. Link clearly wasn’t the only one feeling spontaneous, as Rhett leaned in and gave a small kiss to Link’s forehead. Link let out a breathy giggle, and his face blossomed into the sweetest blush Rhett ever did see. It compelled Rhett to lean in once more, a little more deliberately.

“Have you guys seen Link?!” called a voice from downstairs, interrupting their moment completely. They both sighed and leaned away from each other. They suddenly heard what sounded like someone tromping up the stairs. Rhett swiftly rolled over Link and pushed him against the wall, obscuring him from the doorway’s view with his taller body. As soon as Link was completely hidden, Mike burst through the door and glanced around the room before settling on Rhett in his bed. “Link’s not in his bed,” Mike said. An expression of slight worry took over his face. He was surprised to see that Rhett didn’t seem shocked.

“He probably wanted to catch the Early Birds’ breakfast buffet before they put the cereal away for the day,” Rhett replied with a slight chuckle.

“Oh, maybe… Yeah, he’d probably do that. You know him better than the rest of us do anyway.”

“We’ll meet him down there in a bit if he’s not already on his way back.”

Mike nodded. “Okay, yeah. Sounds good. I’ll let you get dressed.” With that, he left, shutting the door behind him. Link cried of laughter at Rhett’s genius plan. He couldn’t believe it worked.

Rhett swiveled to face his dear friend yet again, and in a single motion cupped Link’s jaw and kissed the tip of his nose. Link stared in deep shock at the blond, eyes wide and jaw dropped. His stunned silence quickly turned into a fit of giggles, and Rhett joined in as well.

“Do you wanna go get some food now, or…?” Rhett asked, somewhat hoping Link would say no.

“We can catch up to them later,” Link purred. He lifted himself closer to give Rhett a smushy kiss on the cheek.


End file.
